Outdoor decks and fences are extremely popular in residential home construction. Homes and apartments, as well as a variety of other buildings, often incorporate exterior decks and fences into their design. Additionally, decks and fences are commonly added onto existing structures and landscapes. These decks and fences provide convenient spaces for a variety of outdoor activities, including cookouts, dining and sunbathing, as well as other leisure activities. Moreover, decks typically are provided with a railing or perimeter fence to keep people from falling over the edge of the deck.
Wood products have traditionally been the primary source of materials for use in decking construction. However, wood products are becoming increasingly scarce due to the harvesting of trees at ever faster rates and the rather limited rate at which timber resources can be replenished. Also, environmental concerns and regulations directed to conservation or preservation of forests tend to restrict the availability of timber resources, wood products are becoming increasingly expensive. There is, therefore, a substantial need for long lasting substitute construction materials that can lessen the need to harvest timber resources.
One potential approach to addressing the above need is to provide substitute decking and fencing products made of plastic, rather than wood. However, because the deck and fencing products must be capable of sustaining certain loads, the replacement products need to be stable and rigid. The material should also be capable of economical manufacture, and be relatively inexpensive. It also needs to be easily fabricated and used in the field.
Many traditional spindles have a turned middle section, that is to say that they have a circular cross-section. This is a very popular design. Such traditional wooden turn spindles are typically made on a wood lathe wherein a roughly square blank is turned into a round spindle. To replace this product with a plastic substitute spindle presents something of a challenge in providing sufficient strength. An example of a good, strong substitute plastic spindle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,331 of Erwin. A reason that it can be problematical to replace a round, hollow wooden spindle with simply a round plastic spindle is that the round, hollow plastic spindle does not bear bending loads very well.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need yet remains for a plastic spindle which has the appearance of a turned spindle, but which exhibits increased strength to resist bending. It is to the provision of such a spindle that the present invention is primarily directed.